Two Knocks
by G.A. AnimeFan4
Summary: In which Droite discovers something about Kaito that surprises her.


**I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL. But I DO own the cover image.**

**Also, I do not accept the new episode. O_O**

* * *

She brought her hand up to the door and knocked, secretly unsure, visibly confident. She hit her knuckles to the surface two times, like she always did, no matter where she was. Then folded her arms loosely, waiting patiently.

The door opened after a moment or so, revealing someone she had known for a long time, but was only discovering at a deeper level now. She almost laughed, actually. He wasn't wearing that dark coat of his, or having a Duel Disk strapped to his arm. Instead, he was in a pink button-up shirt and suspender straps with casual pants. Droite couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Kaito portrayed in such a fashion.

It was refreshing to say the least.

He frowned a little upon seeing her. "I thought you were out with Gauche and Haruto."

She scoffed, though not impolitely. "No."

"And why not?"

Droite uncrossed her arms and smiled a little. "Because they're two boys with a woman. I don't exactly fit in, and Gauche is so good with kids, I didn't want to hold him back from his fun."

"You're fine with children," Kaito insisted, moving away from the door to let her in.

"Sure...but not as skilled as he is," she pointed out, entering cautiously. "This is the first time I've come in here..."

Kaito actually chuckled a bit. It was low and quiet, but there. "Fancy, huh?" The words were sarcastic, but Droite figured it was a perfect living space. "Make yourself comfortable."

She nodded in gratitude, suddenly noticing something after looking around. "What's that smell? It's good."

Kaito's eyes widened a tad, instantly walking off in the direction of what Droite guessed to be the kitchen. She followed behind him as he spoke in reply. "Heh, almost forgot. I'm making dinner for when Haruto and your partner get back. I wasn't expecting anyone to stop by unannounced."

She blushed at that. "S-Sorry..."

"I'm just joking, it's not a problem at all," he said as he entered the kitchen (as she suspected). Droite stayed in the open doorway, observing.

"...I didn't know you cook," she mused, watching him turn down the burner on the stove and checking a few things. "I mean, not to be rude but...I wouldn't expect that from you."

Kaito looked over at her, with something of a smirk on his lips and a twinkle in his eyes. She blinked, new to this expression of his. "And I'm _damn_ good at it, too." Then he smiled, genuinely, and wiped his hands on a rag. "Actually, I had to learn on my own. When we were younger, Faker was always working, so I had to feed Haruto and myself most of the time. It's the same for right now. And when...well, all of that stuff with the Numbers Hunting was going on...I had to eat, naturally, and cooking tended to take my mind off things for a short period."

Droite narrowed her eyes, this being news to her. "You know..." Kaito peered over from his frying pan again. "It was same with Gauche and I. No offense to him, I care about the guy a lot, but he can't cook for crap. So I took matters into my own hands." That's when Droite got that same sparkle in her gaze and smirk on her beautiful face. "I bet I could put you to shame."

The young man blinked one. Then twice. Then three times, for extra emphasis. Droite saw him smirk again, and laugh slightly louder than before. Her heart skipped a beat at his happiness. After all, Kaito hadn't been happy like this in a long time. "You're on. Come here, we can prepare this meal together."

"Gauche and Haruto can be the judges?"

"Excellent."

Droite giggled, loving the idea. Kaito moved his materials to opposite sides of the counter, room for himself, and room for his guest. "What should I make?"

He thought a second, before saying, "Whatever you want to."

She shook her head. "_Che_, you'll regret that."

"Oh, is that right?" Kaito asked with challenge in his tone. "We'll see, Droite."

"Indeed."

* * *

Haruto and Gauche hadn't returned yet, but the entire meal was nearly complete. As the two finished with their preparations, setting the food on plates, filling glasses, and adding a few additional spices, they talked. Over the past forty-five minutes or more, they had been talking, learning and locking in information about each other.

For years, they had only been colleagues. Ones that didn't chat. Droite protected Kaito, while he hardly noticed since he was so focused or exhausted (or both). But now, since Haruto was back to his old self and Heartland had disappeared, they had a chance at foraging a closer bond. That was something Droite wanted, and that was something Kaito _needed_.

"Hey...thank you."

Kaito immediately glanced at her, unsure of what to think. "...Where's this coming from?"

Droite avoided her eyes, setting the dining table. "You're treating me kindly. I don't know...I suppose I'm glad that we could act like nothing has happened. That we can be friendly like this."

"Hm," he murmured, coming closer to her. "I'm glad, too."

She peeked up at him. She noted how much healthier he looked nowadays, with him not abusing his Photon Mode as much as he once had to. He wasn't drop dead tired or irritable. He was...Kaito.

"So...thank _you_," he said quietly, reaching out and taking her shoulders. Droite's eyes became wider than they'd ever been as he pulled her into a hug. It was _almost_ awkward, but for a man with extremely little practice in such a gesture and with a large personal space issue, Kaito did an amazing job. She stood a moment, shocked, before calming and returning the embrace. It was warm...and _right_.

After about a minute, he pulled away slowly, still smiling.

"_Gomen_. I'm not very good at comforting..."

Droite shook her head quickly. "No, it's fine...! I mean...you're pretty good at it..._damn _good at it, to quote a certain someone."

Kaito looked her over a short time, before huffing in amusement. "Well let's see just how _damn _good you are at cooking, Droite."

"Of course," she shot back, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm looking forward to tasting your work of art, as well."

"Well that's a given."

"You're modest."

"Why thank you."

"It's called sarcasm."

"I'm glad you caught that."

"...Oi."

* * *

Turns out Gauche and Haruto were terrible judges.

Either that, or both Kaito _and_ Droite were just too _damn_ good to compare.

After that, it became a sort of tradition. When ever Gauche and his partner came by the Tenjou residence, they'd stay for dinner. Gauche and Haruto would watch and cheer on Kaito and Droite as they competed in a peaceful but heated cook-off which resulted in both of them crashing at night, drained, but in good spirits. Faker watched once, saying it was 'entertaining', and later mentioned to his eldest son that "the girl was a keeper", to which Kaito flushed red in the cheeks and retorted rather loudly. Haruto laughed.

Whenever they came by, Droite would knock at the door, twice.

And Kaito would answer, with a small smile, and a twinkle in his eyes.

* * *

**I needed happiness. Especially after the new episodes. THIS IS MY HEAD-CANON.**

**Please review if you liked it^^**

**-_G-A;)_**


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